Manipur violence: Why no Kuki-Meitei clashes before BJP came to power? ITLF asks

IMPHAL: The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), a prominent tribal body from Manipur, raised a series of questions in regards to the almost six-month-long ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities in the Northeast state.

The ITLF asked: “Why were there no clashes between the majority Meiteis and Kuki-Zo tribals in all the years before the BJP and CM Biren Singh came to power?”

The ITLF posed this question in a statement while referring to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remark on Tuesday (October 24) stating “Meiteis and Kukis were living together for a long time”.

“RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat asked a very pertinent question on the ethnic violence in Manipur: Who actually fuelled the conflict?” the ITLF asked.

It added: “Why did Meitei's belligerence become pronounced and quickly intensified during Biren Singh's tenure?”

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The tribal body from Manipur further questioned the role of Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh’s role during the span of violence in the state.

“Why did gun-toting and hate-spewing radical groups like Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun suddenly gain prominence in the past couple of years?” it questioned.

The tribal organization also raised question over why the controversial armed forces special powers act (AFSPA) was recently removed only in valley areas and not in hill districts in Manipur.

“Why was AFSPA recently removed only in Meitei-dominated districts and not in tribal areas? This is bewildering since government-designated terror groups operate in the Imphal valley while armed groups in the hills are under suspension of operation with the state and centre,” the ITLF asked.

It may be mentioned here that while majority Meiteis live predominantly in the valley areas of Manipur, Kukis are in majority in hills districts of the state.

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More than 180 people have been killed and several hundreds injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3 when a Tribal Solidarity March’ was organized in the hill districts to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the valley areas of the state.

On the other hand, tribals like the Nagas and Kukis constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.